I'll Catch Up
by knowmyname
Summary: He's fast and determined but everyone takes him for granted. Moments in the life of Wally West and Kid Flash. Mostly includes Barry and some glimpses of the team and other characters.
1. Dad

**The first time Wally had called Barry 'dad' he wouldn't remember.**

"Wally! You're going to school today! Speedsters don't get sick!" Barry pulled the blanket off of the red head's sleeping form. After doing so, the blonde bolted to the window and threw it open letting in the cold winter air. Lastly, he zipped back to the doorway and flickered the light on the ceiling. "You're going to be late! Even on speedster time!" Barry warned.

"I'm sick!" Wally groaned. He curled in on himself trying to block out the light and the cold air his uncle provided. "I really am this time!"

"-tt- yeah right, Kid." Barry left the light switch he was stationed at and approached the bed, hands on hips. "You're teachers already think you have cancer because you've been absent so much-"

"Don't joke about Roy! **(('**Of Friends, Foes and Family'**)) **I really am sick-"

"That's no excuse to miss days of school 'just because'. What, do you have a test today or something?" The blonde man started pulling his nephews arm in an attempt to get him to unravel.

"I'll barf on you!" Wally warned. "I'm not kidding!"

"Again with the 'speedsters don't get sick' thing," Barry reminded him. Groggily, Wally rolled himself tighter.

"I don't want to go to school!" he complained. "High school's full of slow people!"

"Did you not do your home work?" Barry tried again. "C'mon! High schools tough but not compared to the other stuff we do!"

"Cut it out dad!" Wally whined and threw his pillow at his uncle. Finding his blankets at the foot of the bed he yanked them up and hid under them. Barry could have dodged the projectile easily but was hit in the face. Recovering quickly, he let go of his nephews hand like he'd been burnt. Wally didn't seem to notice. The older speedster took a step back, eyes wide in surprise. Did Wally…

Did his nephew realize what he'd just called him?

No. The red head was still curled up under the blankets most likely back asleep. Barry was left to stare at the lump with a slack jaw. "Kid," he spoke but his only response was a muffled grunt. "Wally?" This time there was no answer. The blonde was thinking many things at that moment. Was this good or was this bad? Did Wally really mean to call him his…

Dad?

Barry wanted to jump his nephew and strangle him in a hug that would have made even Batman smile. But something held the speedster back. He felt enlightened, fulfilled as an uncle and mentor but a few dark thoughts wormed their way into attention. Did this mean he was being too rough? Was he turning into Wally's *gulp* _father_ by being so commanding of him?

Wally was asleep, no doubt exhausted from his mission the night before come to think of it. That's why he wanted to stay home. He was tired. Barry scolded himself for trying to pull his nephew out of bed before he was ready. I mean, seriously. If _you_ had fought a group of super villains the night before, wouldn't you be tired? Sure, there was the whole fast rejuvenation thing but healing quickly required rest and food. _Rest_ and food.

Sighing, Barry realized Wally didn't even know he'd called him… _Dad._ It was an accident, one Wally would never know he'd made. Just a slip of the tongue.

Dejectedly, Barry left the room after turning the light off and closing the window. He wanted his nephew to see him as a father, a _real_ father. He wanted to be like a dad.

**The second time Wally called Barry 'dad' was an accident.**

Peeking into the living room, Wally sighed. Barry wasn't there either. Sure, the TV was going as usual with Iris reporting a car crash in the background, but his uncle wasn't watching it. That left one more place. Passing by the unusually empty kitchen, Wally trudged down the hallway, physics book in hand.

It was humiliating. He should be a pro at this science thing, should wiz through the work in a flash with no pun intended. So of course the red head was embarrassed to ask for help. He'd never needed help on his homework before, or _any_ class work. So he dragged his feet on the carpet as he neared his destination.

"Uncle Barry?" He called while knocking on the door. "I need your… help… with something."

The blonde opened the bathroom door, toothbrush half hanging out of his mouth. "Whach's upth?" he asked through the toothpaste. Wally ignored the foam dribbling out the corner of his uncle's mouth. Instead, he pursed his lips and closed his eyes, gathering the guts he needed.

"I need help on my chem work, dad-" he froze. Where had _that_ come from? "Uh, I-I mean _Uncle Barry_," he quickly corrected, green eyes now wide. "Yeah, uh, never mind!" Trying not to use his speed, he fled down the hallway, heart racing.

_What was that?_ He asked himself desperately. Did Barry notice? Was he going to hunt him down? It was just an accident! If his Uncle hadn't heard him before, he certainly caught on after his nephew sprinted down the hallway.

"I'm going for a run!" He called down the hallway before he was out the door, feet pounding on the pavement no longer restraining the speed they craved. To passerby's, he was a blur. But to Wally, he couldn't run fast enough.

He was being childish. It was just and accident. Just and accident… But didn't he see Barry as a father figure? What was so wrong with calling Barry his dad?

Why was he running?

The red head stopped then toppled as his central point of gravity went off balance because he wasn't focusing. _Get it together West,_ he told himself. He was in the park. It was quiet, and it was empty.

He could think.

**The third time Wally called Barry 'dad' it was a warning.**

"How could you be so stupid!" Barry shouted. "You practically _died_ and all you can say is _oops_?" The blonde threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"C'mon, it's not like you've never done that-"

"But I practiced!" Barry kept shouting. Iris handed Wally another tissue for his bloody nose. "I didn't say one day 'Oh, I think I'll vibrate my molecules fast enough to slip through this wall. That way, I can blow up the whole Mountain!'"

"Barry, calm down," his wife told him sternly. "He's just a kid. Wally wasn't trying to hurt anyone."

The blonde man stood there fuming for a few moments, fists braced on the kitchen counter as he tried to reign in his emotions. Sitting across the island from him was his nephew, cringing with every word his uncle spoke. An ice pack only covered one of his black eyes and the tissue wad under his broken nose was soaked through with blood. The rest of him didn't look much different. The red head looked like one big black and blue spot, arms, legs and torso covered in bruises and sore skin.

"Wally, do you understand what could have happened?" Barry finally spoke, voice low and serious. It was a strange look for the usually light hearted man. "Why couldn't you ask me to teach you?"

"Because you always tell me I'm not ready-"

"Because you aren't!" Barry yelled again. "I had my powers for _years_ before I even _thought _about trying that." Wally shrunk farther in his chair, wincing as he stretched sore ribs. "Wally, you could have blown up the entire bay area!"

"But I didn't!"

"_Boys!_" Iris spoke up, tone commanding and both males snapped their heads around to look at her. She had one hand on her hip while the other held an ice pack to Wally's shoulder blade. "Both of you need to stop this."

Barry flared his nostrils. "You have no idea!" He shouted, but this time at his own wife. "This line of work is one of the most dangerous! If Wally wasn't careful enough, he could have been pulled into the Speed Force and lost _forever_!"

"_Barry_!" Iris stared at him, astonished he would think to yell at his wife. Her jaw slacked and her eyes widened. Snapping out of it, she roughly handed the ice pack she was holding to her nephew and marched from the room. It was silent for a few moments before the speedsters heard the front door slam and the car start up.

"Nice work… _Dad_," Wally hissed.

The blonde standing across the counter from him whipped his head to stare at his nephew. As realization dawned on him, Barry's tense figure melted and his shoulders sagged.

"…Really?" He asked his nephew. They both knew what he was asking with that word. _Was I really acting like…Him?_

"Really." Wally confirmed with a scowl and slid from his chair stiffly and limped from the kitchen.

**The fourth time Wally called Barry 'dad' was as a tease.**

"Aww!" Wally knelt next to the box of puppies. The little girl sitting on the side walk beside it smiled shyly at the red head. "How much are they?" the he asked her.

"Ten dollars-"

"_Ten dollars_?" he stuttered. "But their absolutely _adorable_! I'll give you twenty for the runt-" The cell phone in Wally's pocket vibrated. "Hold on," he held up a finger to the little girl. "Hullo! This is Wally West at your service!"

"_Kid?_" It was Barry. Crap. "_Where in the world _are_ you?_"

"Uh… Gotham?"

"Gotham?" he could hear his uncle huff. "_Please tell me you're with Robin._" Wally looked over his shoulder at his friend. The ebony smirked, most likely already knowing what was happening.

"Yeah… do you want to talk to him?" Before getting an answer, the red head handed the phone off to his friend.

"Hey Unc, how goes it?" the bird asked but he too didn't wait for an answer. "Wally's buying a puppy."

"Dude! You're not supposed to _tell_ him!" The speedster could hear his uncle's voice from where he stood. Robin was forced to yank the phone away from his ear. The ebony shoved the device back at his friend.

"_-Iris will flip! We don't have room for a dog and you know that, not to mention the money required to_-"

"But their only ten -" The little girl next to the box of puppies gave him a scowl. "-twenty dollars! Ugh, there's a little runty one and he's the cutest thing and you would absolutely _love _him if you saw-"

"_Wally, no_," Barry stated. "_We are not getting a dog_."

"But-"

"Wally!" Robin hissed. "Do the thing!"

"What thing?" the red head raised an eyebrow at his friend and covered the speaker on the phone. His friend gave him a pouty look. "Oh, _that_ thing." He returned to the phone. "Dad?" he whined.

There was silence on the other line. "_Huh?_" Barry asked in confusion. "_You just called me-_"

"Please daddy?" Wally begged. "Daddy, I promise I'll take him for walks and I'll feed him and Rob can give us the money to feed him-" he got elbowed by said bird. "And I've _always_ wanted a dog! Pretty please, daddy? With sugar on top?"

The other line went dead.

The speedster shrugged and pocketed his phone. "He said yes," he smirked and handed the little girl a twenty. Pulling the runt out of the box, he brought it to eye level. "Daddy is going to _love_ you!"

**The fifth time Wally called Barry 'dad' was when he meant it the most.**

They were invited to the funeral. They were _invited_ because they were family. But that didn't mean they wanted to go.

But they went anyways.

They dressed up as was expected, that respect for the public eye they could spare. But they wouldn't spare the public the sight of their scowls. But the red headed boy between them didn't wear an emotion. Not one of relief, not one of mourning.

His face was blank.

Everyone shook his hand, their unknowing faces pitying his loss. Barry wanted to punch them. When the Father finished his speech he asked if anyone wanted to say something. Barry wanted to scream to the world that they were mourning a criminal, but Iris held him back. The two sat in one of the middle pews. Not too close to the casket but not far enough to seem rude. Wally wasn't sitting with them. The boy made it a point to sit up front in the very first pew in the center of the bench.

A few people cried during the service, but Wally wasn't one of them. His face was blank, empty, devoid of any and all emotion. A few people whispered that it was from shock, but what did they know? They didn't know who the man was… _what _he was.

An angry man.

During the memorial service, Wally was still sitting in the sanctuary. He hadn't moved to fallow the crowd in their decent to the community rooms below. Instead he sat gazing ahead at the closed casket that held his… father. Sometimes his steely gaze would move upwards to the stain glass window on the far wall. He's not religious. He's a man of science therefore he didn't spear the crucifix a single glance.

The dark shadows under his eyes were the only sign of his stress. His jaw did not clench and his emerald eyes did not water.

He sat perfectly still.

There were so many emotions and thoughts running rampant in his brain that the noise of it was almost deafening. But at the same time his mind was silent, shocked at the sudden turn of events and at a loss of what to think of them.

"Wally?" a gentle voice called and echoed off the high ceiling of the church. The person it spoke to made no sign of recognition. The red head stared straight at the lid of the casket. It was closed as requested by his uncle.

"Kid?" his uncle called again. Wally blinked for the first time in what seemed like ages. Taking a shallow breath, he tilted his head sideways in the slightest to show he had heard. The staring contest he had been having with the wooden box was broken.

The box won.

"Barry?" he replied quietly, voice barely audible.

"I'm here." And he was. The blonde man made his way down the aisle and sat next to his nephew. "You want to go home?" he asked.

Wally didn't want to answer. He didn't really have one. Part of the red head wanted to stay forever and watch as the box was lowered into the earth. The staring contest he had just been having was almost comforting because it felt like nothing changed; his life wasn't moving on without him when he stared at the casket. Another part of him wanted to leave, wanted to run, wanted to be anywhere except sitting in that pew.

But he didn't have an answer.

Instead, he spoke the obvious. "He's dead." It was silent.

Barry sighed almost hopelessly, the soft sound echoing loudly off the high ceiling like everything else. "Yeah… he's-"

"No!" The red head stood abruptly knocking his uncle over in surprise. Barry scrambled to his feet keeping a safe distance from where his nephew fumed. The previously pale face was now flushed red, sweat pouring down his temples and a murderous glint in his eye. They stayed like that for a moment, neither moving except for the heaving of Wally's shoulders as he breathed heavily.

"Wally…" Barry spoke finally, breaking the loud silence. "We should go home now." The red head wanted to agree, wanted to be pulled out of the church and into the car so badly it hurt. But his usually active feet were pinned to the floor by glue.

"Wally, let's go home-"

"The bastards _faking_ it!" The younger speedster was next to the casket in a moment beating at the lid. His uncle was taken aback for a moment by the suddenly violent display. "You hear me!" Wally screamed at the closed lid. "Come out here and face me you _son of a bitch_!" He shouted. Wally's shaking fingers were pulling at the handle, yanking at the lid and prying the wood open.

"Wally!" Barry was pulling his shaking nephew away. The boy in his arms thrashed and tried to scramble away but his uncle had a death grip around his waist. "Wally, _calm down_!" he yelled, trying to be heard over the young man's sobbing.

He was _sobbing_ now.

"Come on!" he screamed at the casket. The red head jabbed an elbow back and stomped on his uncle's unsuspecting foot before twisting out of his grasp. "You _asshole_! You lied! You said you _loved_ me and you _lied_!" he shouted and was back to yanking on the tightly closed lid. "You lied to mom! You told her too! You asshole!"

Barry struggled to get close, but when he put a firm hand on his nephews shaking shoulder he was punched in the face. Tumbling backwards, he collided with the first pew and fell to the ground gripping his injured jaw.

"Tell me now!" Wally screamed, finally able to open the lid. He leaned over the opened casket and came face to face with his father. "Tell me you love me now you fucking son of a bitch! You lying, cheating,_ angry bastard_!" Wally's heartbroken sobbing echoed in the church. The hot tears that fell past his lashes dripped off his face and onto that of his dead… father… as he screamed harder.

Barry heaved himself to his feet. This had gone on long enough. If something wasn't done now, they might have an unwanted audience. "_Kid Flash_," he yelled over the ruckus his nephew was making. He used a voice he hoped was close to Batman's. Even in his superhero garb, Barry was a light hearted man. "Stop. Now," he ordered.

Wally froze mid sentence, teeth bared as his scream was cut short. Breathing hard, he pulled away from the still form in the casket. He stood straight. Barry approached cautiously before putting a hand on the red heads heaving shoulder. He turned him gently. Wally didn't fight him and let his uncle pull him into a tight and restraining embrace.

"Take me home," the younger speedster said quietly. His falling tears started making a wet patch on his uncle's shirt. "Take me home," he begged.

"I've got you," Barry reassured him holding his nephews shaking body closer. "We'll go home. You'll be okay."

It was silent while Wally reigned in his anger and exhaustion.

"I love you," Barry whispered into the red hair after a few minutes. "I love you so much-" his voice broke and his own tears threatened to fall now.

"I love you too dad," Wally replied without hesitation.

**A/N:**_ OMIGOD PLEASE DON'T KILL ME._

_I've wanted to write this for so long I feel like I might cry because I actually FINALLY got it typed and published. Omigod. I'm actually quite envious of Wally's relationship with Barry; I have my problems with my own dad. My pop isn't homophobic… ok, he is, but I know he loves me genuinely no matter what. Sometimes we've even gotten into fights about my, well, gayness. He's a good guy though. _

_WHOOP! This is going to be AWESOME!_

_Moe._


	2. Babysat By The Bat

There was a knock on the door. At Wayne manor there is never just 'a knock on the door'. There were security systems, cameras, gates and several guard dogs. Not to mention the entire place was surrounded by the highest criminal alert tech the world had to offer. This _is_ the home of the Batman after all. But, despite all that, there was a knock. On. The. Door.

Bruce was there in an instant. He had a baterang ready behind his back and utility belt slung around one shoulder. He motioned for Alfred to back up as he placed a powerful hand on the door knob. Inclining his head he squinted at the figures he could see through the tiny peep hole. Dammit.

The blonde man was grinning and began ringing the doorbell at an inhuman pace. The shorter red head beside him looked like he'd rather be suspended over a boiling pit of alligators than in front of Bruce's door. But when he opened his mouth to complain and moved to turn away, Barry put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from leaving. Bruce thumped his fore head on the wood.

"It's Barry," he told Alfred grudgingly and opened the door.

"Bruce! Hey ol' pall o' mine!" Barry slipped past the man in front of him and into the manor. "Hey Alf, how goes it?"

"Quite well master Barry, and yourself?" the butler replied politely.

"Eh, I need a favor from Bruce…"

"Whatever it is, no." Gotham's number one vigilante turned from the door and started walking down the hallway. Barry zipped down the hall after him and intercepted his broad form.

"Oh c'mon!" Barry coaxed slyly. "I just need you to watch Wally for-"

"No."

"But I can't let him come with me on this mission-"

"No."

"It's too dangerous for him and I can't let him stay home because he'll get hurt 'cause the city's getting destroyed and-"

"No."

"Bruce?" Barry knelt down at the man's feet. "I am _begging _you." The speedster's tone dropped it's usually light hearted edge and dropped a few pitches. Grasping his hands together as if he were praying, he lowered his blonde head and whispered shakily. "Bruce, it's Zoom."

It was quiet. The Dark Knight towering over the speedster pursed his lips and sighed heavily through his nose. What was he supposed to do _now_? Damn speedsters… Looking down at Barry where he groveled at his feet, Bruce couldn't help but smirk.

"Fine."

"Really?" Barry snapped his head up, blue eyes wide and sparkling. "Oh wow! I can't tell you how much this-"

"What?" Wally groaned from where he still stood in the doorway. "No offence but can't you just leave me in Star with Aunt Iris or something?"

"Aw, c'mon Kid! You can hang out with Dickie!" Barry coaxed.

"He's on a field trip in Metropolis," Bruce and Wally told him at the same time. The two scowled at each other.

"Oh." Barry looked thoughtful before zipping to the door. "Well, it will give you two some time to get to know each other then!" Barry gave his nephew a quick hug and sprinted at top speed away from the manor only to return a few moments later. "Oh! You'll be staying here for a few nights by the way," he informed the red head smiling and was gone again.

"But-" Wally started but was yanked inside the house by his dark host. The door was slammed shut and the red head pulled out of the strong grip. Looking up, Wally saw his own betrayed expression mirrored on Bruce's. "Yippee," he groaned.

**[0]**

That afternoon and evening went by slow, which, in speedster time took about an eternity. Bruce was nowhere to be found, not that Wally could blame him. The red head spent the rest of the day with Alfred. He helped with the dishes, ate plenty of snacks, played a few rounds of chess (which he was surprisingly good at) and even got a little homework done. When dinner time rolled around, Bruce was still lurking out of sight. Alfred informed the speedster that there were conference calls he was making for Wayne Enterprises, but Wally told him not to sugar coat it.

"He doesn't want to see me; I don't want to get in his way. End of story. We both win."

Through the entire first day, Wally saw Bruce only once. He was in the middle of his gigantic dinner (prepared by the wonderful Alfred of course) when the man entered the kitchen. Alfred had offered to serve Wally's food in the actually dining room but the red head refused and so sat at the marble counter shoveling roast pork into his bottomless stomach.

Wally had been to the manor plenty of times. He and Dick got into plenty of trouble while he was around and so gave his presence a bad taste in Bruce's mouth. The man, though kind and tolerant in his day time form, did not let Wally forget he was _Batman_ once in a while. These few days would be no different.

So there he sat, innocently eating dinner while conversing with Alfred when half of Bruce Wayne walked in. _Half_ meaning he was wearing the bottom half of his Batman costume and a white tank top. Wally nearly choked. The red head didn't know he did that. Every time he'd seen the man he was either one or the other, Bruce or Batman with the exception of the cowl.

The broad man wore the tights (excuse me, _leggings_) and the underwear along with the utility belt. Wally wanted to laugh at the man's lack of foot wear though, it was an interesting sight. Sensing the red heads straining composure, Bruce turned to him while Alfred finished making his sandwich.

"I'm going on patrol," he told him. "You're staying here and Alfred will find you a room."

Wally blinked a couple times, a little caught off guard by the casual voice he was spoken to in. "Uh, I was thinking I would just bunk in Dick's room like usual…" Bruce narrowed his blue eyes. "Or, you know," Wally was quick to agree. "I'll let Al find set me up, sure thing." The man nodded.

"Here you are Master Bruce." The butler handed him a plate with food on it. "Good luck on patrol tonight."

"Thanks, Alfred." Bruce left the kitchen, but not before making eye contact with the speedster one last time. He wasn't being threatening, but his message was clear.

_My house, my rules._ And Wally didn't have a bird to hide behind like usual.

**[0]**

The second day was slightly different. Despite being told he couldn't _sleep_ in his best friend's room, he still went _in_ his best friend's room. Wally was sprawled out on the giant bed for most of the morning playing video games on the giant flat screen. He wanted to go to the mountain, he had a room there, but upon further discussion with his Uncle when the blonde had a free moment Wally was ordered to stay at the Wayne manor. Apparently the red head was safest there. Yeah right, Barry didn't seem to understand that Bruce might very well get tired of him and _skewer him on a baterang_.

Lunch time rolled around and he ate in the kitchen again. Bruce came and went collecting food and leaving to lurk in his study apparently doing things for his company. During the afternoon, Wally was sure he'd done so much homework he'd be graded into the next semester if he did any more.

That's when he found a piano.

Sure, it was a huge place and piano's were probably hiding in almost every sitting room, but this was the first one Wally had stumbled upon. Iris had taught him a little, not enough to be pro, but enough to make noise that was actually structured and flowed well.

Cautiously, the red head sat on the old bench and lifted the cover to the keys. If Alfred wasn't around to clean, the entire piano would have been covered in about and inch of dust. Just from the lonely feeling it gave off, Wally could tell no one used it.

Splaying his fingers out on the keys, he tapped center C as gently as he could. Oops.

The note rang out far too loudly. It echoed off the walls and hallways before Wally could think to take his foot off the pedal. He hadn't even meant to! His toes just happened to be pressing on that one-

"Crap!" he shouted and jumped away from the piano, the note immediately cut short.

"Wally?" The red head whipped around to stare at the door. Bruce was there, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed against his chest. "Everything okay?" he asked casually. Dumbstruck at the man's ability to be _everywhere_ at once, the speedster stood silent with his jaw slacked. Finally finding use of his vocal chords he mumbled an apology. "It's fine, just not so loud next time." And he was gone. Wally wasn't even sure he'd seen the man go, just, one moment he was there and the next he wasn't.

Wally kept away from pianos the rest of the day. He ate dinner in the kitchen again, this time Bruce appeared to take his food to the bat cave wearing more of his suit. The cape, cowl and shoes were still missing. Maybe Bruce didn't mean to, because the speedster had never seen the man do it in such a genuine way, but he smiled at the butler when handed his meal. The pleasant expression dropped when he passed Wally on his way out of the kitchen.

That night, the red head sat in his guest room. He was tempted to climb the wall to his friend's ever familiar room. What stopped him was the idea that the Bat, although out patrolling, would most likely know he was there.

**[0]**

The next morning, Wally woke up early. His phone was vibrating under his pillow where he had left it to charge. It was Barry.

"Kid!" his uncle shouted when he answered the device. He sounded out of breath.

"Barry?" he groaned. Looking at the alarm clock next the bed he found it was only two in the morning. The sun hadn't even risen yet. "What do you want?"

"I'm just checking in on my favorite nephew!" The blonde shouted over some background noise. "How are things going?"

"Peachy. Do you _know_ what time it is?" he asked while burying his face in his plush pillow.

"I know it's early," Barry apologized. "But this is the only free time I've had in a while." It was silent for a little while as Wally fought off the urge to fall back asleep. "Bats isn't being too hard on you?"

"Mmn no," the red head said from where his face was connected with his pillow. "I barely see him and that's _fine_ with _me_."

"He's not terrible you know-"

"I _know_, Rob tells me all the time."

"He'll come around-" the line picked up in static. "Kid? I gotta g-"

Suddenly wide awake, Wally sat up in bed holding the phone to his ear. "Uncle Barry?" he asked the phone quietly. "…Dad?" But the line was already dead. "Crap."

He was out of his room in a mad dash, down the hall and into the kitchen within seconds. "Alfred!" he called when he entered. "Al! I think Barry's in trouble-" He slammed into a body in the doorway.

"You're Uncle's fine." A firm grip held him by the shoulders to keep him from falling over. "He contacted me just a moment ago to tell you he ran into a riot and lost connection." Wally steadied himself before pulling away from the firm grip that was most definitely not Alfred's.

Stepping back, the speedster tilted his head back to meet Bruce's calm gaze. The man stood in the middle of the dark kitchen. Upon further inspection, Wally spotted a bowl of cereal on the counter along with glass of water. Taking a step back, he looked the vigilante up and down. Like the first time he'd seen Bruce this way, the dark man only wore the bottom half of his costume and a tank top.

"You really need to stop doing that," he stated before he could stop himself.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Doing what?"

"The half costume thing," the teen continued. "It really hurts my brain because I can't figure out who you are." He snapped his jaw shut and stared wide eyed at Bruce, waiting to be yelled at for talking to him in such a blunt way. But he laughed. Gotham's number one vigilante _laughed_. It wasn't just a chuckle either; it was a full out toss-my-head-back-and-guffaw-at-the-ceiling laugh. "Huh?" Wally asked dumbly.

"You sound just like your uncle," Bruce told him, wiping at his watering eyes. "He's said the same exact thing."

"…Huh?" Wally repeated.

The man before him maneuvered through the kitchen. After turning on the lights, he sat down in front of his cereal bowl. That was a weird image. It's not often you see a bruised up playboy sitting in half his heroes garb digging into a bowl of plain cheerios.

"Sit?" Bruce offered, gesturing to the seat across from him. Wally took it as an order though and marched to the chair and sitting tall in it when he got there. The man across the counter from him raised an eyebrow. "Relax, I'm not Batman."

"But you're wearing the-"

"Tights?" Wally held back a snort. "I'm pretty much the same guy with or without them."

Wally raised a skeptical eyebrow. But on second thought, he considered the differences between Wally West and Kid Flash. There weren't many to say the least. Bruce didn't seem to care that the red head watched uncomfortably as he finished off the cereal in his bowl and placed it in the sink.

"Sir-"

"Bruce," the man corrected while he sat back down.

"Bruce," Wally said this time, voice quiet. He paused before asking the question that had been nagging him for a long time. "Do you, you know, not like me?" The question was one that many wanted to ask about themselves, but few dared speak it to the man it concerned. "I mean, you let me come over to hang out with Dick an' stuff, but I know I can be-"

"Annoying? Bothersome? In the way? Yes. Continue."

Wally's calculative face fell and one of self loathing replaced it. "So you hate me?" he asked hopelessly, shoulders slumping.

"I never said that," Bruce reminded him. "If I hated you, would you know who Robin was?" Wally shook his head. "Would you be allowed within a ten mile radius of my city?" Again, the speedster shook his head. "If I hated you, would I let your uncle dump you at my house?"

"No." The speedster looked down at the counter top and traced one of the marble swirls absent mindedly with a finger.

"I'm like this to everyone," Bruce explained after a while. "I realize you might have taken my bluntness the wrong way, too." Now Wally felt dumb. Sure, he didn't think the guy _hated _him, but by the way he acted it was hard not to think that Bruce thought about him in a negative way. He'd misinterpreted the way the man worked. Bruce was _Batman_ after all, what did you expect? A greeting card whenever his friend brought him over? A basket of chocolates on the holidays? The red head slumped further in his chair and didn't lift his gaze from the counter.

"Are you sure uncle Barry's alright?" he decided to ask instead of continuing their conversation. The man across from him noticed the change but didn't act on it.

"He's fine." Bruce stood and Wally fallowed his actions. "You should get back to sleep," he dismissed the red head and walked away. The speedster stood, although a little dejectedly, in the door way to the kitchen as he watched Bruce walk down the dark hallway. Like the day before, Wally never saw him turn into another hall or room or even slip onto the dark shadows. One moment the man was there, and the next he wasn't.

**[0]**

"How does he do it?"

"Do what, master Wally?"

"Disappear! He's like a _ninja_ or a _ghost_!" Wally conversed impatiently with the Butler. "I don't know how he does it! One moment he's there and the next he's not."

"It takes much practice to do such things. Master Bruce is trained for that along with Master Dick." Alfred placed a fourth bowl of cereal in front of the red head. "I believe you have much experience with our dear young friends disappearing acts?" He inquired.

"Heck yeah," Wally grumbled but a look from the butler forced him to correct himself. "I mean, uh, _yes_. He gives us the slip all the time on our missions-"

"We don't talk about that line of work during daytime hours." The voice rang through the kitchen clearly. Standing in the doorway, dressed in a crisp suit and a brief case in hand was Bruce. He motioned to Wally's messy boxers and t-shirt. "Get dressed; you're coming to work with me."

"What-"

"Get. Dressed," the man ordered this time. There was no hint that he remembered that morning's conversation with the speedster. In fact, Wally felt as if he'd actually lost ground with the vigilante instead of gained understanding. Confused, Wally slid from his stool and onto the tiled floor. His bare feet made a light _pat pat_ sound as he walked down the hallway.

Go to work with Bruce _Wayne_? Part of Wally was a little excited, the side that was impressed with the man's business stature. The other half was sensing his impending doom. Maybe Bruce would push him out the window of his office where it over looked Gotham. Maybe Bruce would lock him in the elevator and cut the cables with his Batman tech. Or worse.

What if Wally was forced to sit in the man's office with him for the _entire day_ and get _bored to death_?

The thought of spending a prolonged amount of time with the man was unnerving to Wally.

A half hour later found the red head stuck in the back seat of the plush car. Alfred sat in front whilst Bruce sat next to speedster. The younger passenger appeared to be pressing himself against the door of the car trying to get as much space between the billionaire and himself as possible.

They entered the Wayne Tech building after the silent ride. The place was absolutely _huge_.

"Wally." A voice drew the speedster out of his trance where he stood with his head tilted back. _If I dropped a penny of the top and it landed on my head would_- "Wally!" Bruce grabbed the boys shoulder and steered him in front doors. "Next time don't day dream in the middle of the street."

"Who, me?" the red head asked innocently. Bruce completely disregarded the employees that greeted him. They boarded a private elevator and climbed more than thirty floors before climbing off. The billionaire seemed to be completely oblivious to the people parting in the hallway as he passed, Wally dragging his feet behind him.

Finally entering a quiet office, Bruce pushed Wally to stand before a small desk. A beautiful woman perched behind it stood at the sight of her boss. "Stay. Here," he told the speedster. "You'll spend the day with Jessica, do as she asks and stay out of her way." Bruce's secretary fallowed him into an adjoining office and left Wally standing next to the desk.

Putting on an annoyed face, he mimicked. "_Stay here, Wally. Go here, Wally. Don't get in my way, Wally_." Sighing he leaned against the wood next to him. "How about, _Wally, you're such a great kid for putting up with me! Dick should _totally_ bring you over more often!_"

**A/N:**_ Ugh, it's so . I'm impressed with myself! Did you all see the new episode? Gosh, it broke my heart! Poor Dickie bird. And Wally? Dude, Canary was all like "Your in denial." And Wally was all like "Bitch, I aint even mad!" Ugh, and Conner? Can you _get_ any more emo? But I love you. Oh, and I love YOU for reading this!_

_Moe._


	3. Whenever This Happened

**Whenever this happens…**

**Warning:** _Some blood, a little gore, some emotional Barry stuff. This is mostly Barry and Artemis bonding though. NOT IN A WIERD WAY GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER. Wally's kind of passed out. _

Whenever this happened, he had Uncle Barry. For certain, the older speedster would almost always be there when the younger's powers got out of hand. But whenever _this_ happened, Barry had always been there, always. _Always_. But now that he wasn't available, Wally wasn't certain he would make it this time, wasn't certain he'd be able to handle this.

_This_.

The most absolute _worst_ feeling in the history of Superheroes. Most definitely.

Wally lay on the ground for a moment. His eyes just barely opening not even a minute ago. Hot smoke immediately filled his nose and mouth making him choke a little. He remembered, at least he thinks he did, remembered the explosion, the bomb that had gone off in the building his team was in. The team…

Oh god, where was his team? Were they hurt? Were they _dead_- Wally stopped that train of thought. As a hero in a situation, he literally could not afford his mind to wander towards that darkening path. At the moment he needed to focus on getting to safety and out of this fire.

Fire. It was raging around him, a deafening roar of flames. The fire around him was literally _sucking_ the oxygen out of his lungs. He had to do something, and he had to do something fast. And he could do fast. Just not this time.

The pain started when Wally shifted his left shoulder in order to sit himself up. Immediately, a ripping sort of pain coursed from his shoulder and forced him back to the ground. The speedsters jaw clenched so hard his teeth ground together audibly. Taking a moment to pant through his nose, Wally turned his head to the left to look at his shoulder.

The joint was dislocated and most likely broken, a bump clearly visible against his skin where a bone was pushing. Just the sight of the stretched and bruising skin made his stomach turn. His skin was singed and burnt.

His stomach.

Now that Wally was aware he was most likely injured elsewhere as well, he did a mental check of his body where he lay. His stomach. Tilting his red head, the teen peered over his heaving chest towards his abdomen. Immediately, the speedster dropped his head, pupils now dilated from the sight. After calming his painful breathing as best he could, Wally propped himself slowly on his right shoulder, needing another look. Maybe it wasn't that bad.

It was.

After registering what exactly was happening to his body, the pain came full blast. It ripped up his spine and made it arch uncomfortably. A desperate whine escaped his throat while his freak out mode was set on maximum.

"Oh g-god," he tried gasping but it came out shaky and raspy, barely audible. The speedster dropped his head back to the hot earth, panting heavily and painfully, shock starting to tingle in his veins. His legs started shaking, itching to run like they always did when he got this wired. But the shaking didn't help the pain. If anything, it worsened as destroyed muscles tried to move and shift.

A distressed and high pitched escaped his chapped lips. What had happened to his speedy healing? That was one of his favorite quirks to the job, one that allowed him to throw himself into the fray of danger to get the job done. It's what kept him on the team, kept him fearless in the face of death.

Not this time.

This had happened before, a few times actually, when he'd taken a nasty swipe from a sword that cut through his throat. Barry, ever the hero, held his broken neck at exactly the right angle so that his windpipe would heal in the right spot. His uncle had then proceeded to vibrate his hands, promoting a speedy recovering for his dying nephew. It had only been a half hour before he could get a normal breath, another before he could stand without shaking, a day before the scar was gone and one more before he got over the adrenaline.

It had happened to his bones. Again, Barry had been there to reset a broken leg so that the pieces would heal correctly until better resetting could be accessed. Later, even after a quick surgery to arrange any misplaced bone cells (preformed by the League of course) Barry had been there to make sure he could walk correctly and take care of the tender limb until fully healed. Even that only took a few days.

No matter what the dire situation, Barry had been there, even if he had been on a mission across the globe. Wally was certain his uncle had some sort of sixth sense that would tell him if his kin was hurt and in need of a speedsters understanding hands. There he would be to reset bones, hold gashed skin together and pluck bullets from muscles so they wouldn't be healed inside. Barry was fast and the only one Wally could really trust to heal him correctly. A speedster is a speedster is a speedster.

But now, no Uncle Barry. No Flash. He was off world with Green Lantern and there was no possible way his mentor would be there to set him straight, even if that was _possible_ at this point.

The skin on his lower stomach had been cooked, literally burnt up and his innards and abdominal muscles were actually visible, exposed and bleeding. Several broken ribs poked up helplessly through the remaining tatters of flesh.

Now, falling into shock and overcome by the growing pain, Wally realized Barry would not be there to save him this time.

**[0]**

Artemis stumbled through the smoke clogged air. Thankfully, she hadn't been there when the bomb had gone off and had been on look out on the perimeter. But even so, she was stuck in the flames. So far, she was alright, suffocating maybe… but alright.

Her team though, she was unsure about. But she was strong, knew what her priorities were. Taking care of herself was the most important thing to do at the moment.

Or at least it was, until she happened upon Wally.

Immediately, her brain patched the story together. The bomb hadn't gone off in the ware house building; it had gone off in the air, that much she had been able to see before she had to take cover. Wally probably made the hero move, sprinting for the bomb like usual, confident he could make it in time, which he had. The speedster most likely chucked the device out a window, no time left to wait for Robin to arrive and deactivate it. It was protocol. That's one of the red head's jobs because that tactic could save his team, save lives of innocent people.

But just because he had executed his usual course of action, didn't mean he hadn't underestimated the blast. Wally was most likely the closest one to the bomb being the one who had thrown it. Judging by the fire around them, the explosion was _much_ bigger than expected.

Wally was living proof of that fact.

Or dying proof.

The speedster was one lucky son of a bitch if he had woken up in this clearing devoid of ruble to burn. But that luck was knocked down a few notches when Artemis really got a good look at her team mate.

And when she did? Her stomach protested angrily and ended up on the pavement. Gathering what little composure she had left, the archer forced herself to approach Wally's shaking form.

"W-Wally?" she rasped, throat dry from the smoke. Artemis shuffled as close as she dared with the pool of blood forming around the speedster's body. A high keening whine left the red head's throat and a bit of the nasty red fluid glazed across his lips and bubbled onto his tongue. His usually vibrant emerald eyes were stuck open, wide and dilated as they stared blankly upwards towards the smoking sky.

Then it finally set in. The fact that Wally was dying. Wally was dying. Wally was _dying_. _Dying._

And Artemis had no idea what to do. She could barely look at his smoking skin without feeling the bile rising in her throat again and so focused on his pale freckled face. Those freckles. Those annoying spray paint freckles that she found so bothersome, stood out like ink blotches on a white page. Her team mate had lost too much blood.

A grunt came from the red head and Wally tilted his face to look at the blonde. "U-Uncl-" he started to say, but was cut off by a bloody cough. Immediately taking action, Artemis tilted his skull gently so that the rising blood and bile would fall onto the dirty ground instead of back down his throat. After a few moments of wheezing, Wally cleared his airway enough to try again. "N-need to-o… gottata r-reseted-"he was trying to say, but the words and syllables jumbled together.

"Shh," the blonde tried to sooth while she herself began to shake and tremble. "Don't-"

"You nn-eed to-" he kept trying. Artemis, thinking it was a goodbye, shushed him and moved to cradle his head in her lap while he trembled. The pain… she could only imagine.

"W-Wally-" she started, but his right arm came up to nudge her thigh to get her attention.

"M-my shoul'her," was what he continued to say. "Pu' it b-_back_."

The archer was so confused. Here he was, bleeding out, skin burnt so bad she could literally _see_ his muscle fiber and he was telling her to put something _back_. Maybe he was trying to joke, make her go on without her? Maybe he was actually serious about that arrow she stole back when the Red's invaded the mountain. Who knows. But Wally kept at it.

The speedster shuttered, his mumbled and rushed mantra broken for a moment. "F-fix my shoul'her."

"Wally, stop trying to-"

"_Please_."

That made her stop. Artemis swallowed slowly. Still, she didn't understand. But the way he _said_ it, the way the word rasped in his throat made her listen harder. "What is it, Wally? You_ idiot_, tell me what-"

"Put m-my shoul'her bagck," he groaned, eyes finally closing in the extreme heat of the raging fire. He sounded frustrated, as frustrated as you can when there's blood in your throat.

"You… Your shoulder?"

There was a triumphant whine from Wally's trembling form. Artemis heaved a sigh a relief, now confident she could fix this… as best she could. By now she figured it was just about making Wally happy before he slipped from her grasp figuratively and died in her lap literally.

Wally was _dying_. And when she put it like that, Artemis felt the bile rising in her throat again. There was nothing she could do.

"What do I _do-_"

"_Fix it-_"

"But I can't-"

"Now_, please-_"

There was the plea again.

**[0]**

It was three days, four hours and sixteen minutes before Wally opened his eyes again. In speedster time, that amounted to an eternity in such a situation. For Artemis, is could have passed even slower.

The blonde archer currently sat by his bed in the Watch Tower, trying desperately to stay awake no matter how tired she was. Wally along with Kaldur and Robin had needed surgery to fix broken bones, the League had made an exception by giving the team access to the 'Tower. Artemis and Conner refused to be left behind on Earth.

Across the hospital bed from the archer was the Flash. But, his cowl was down so wouldn't he be… Well, who was this guy? While her eyes were threatening to shut from exhaustion, she examined the man. Blonde hair, blue eyes, nothing like Wally's red hair and emerald iris'. Upon further inquiry of Ollie, he was designated as 'Barry Allen'.

_Barry_. Artemis would laugh if she wasn't so tired.

The man didn't spare her a single glance, too busy watching his nephew. Artemis couldn't care less, too busy struggling to stay awake herself to pay him much mind. She had never seen the guy look so intense and focused. But there he sat, the usually upbeat Flash watching like a guard dog over his partner. Wally had woken up only half hour ago, but had only been awake for a few minutes, too drugged up to realize what was happening. Artemis was out of it herself. Tired still from the disaster mission and stress of waiting for Wally.

"So…" she spoke through a yawn, trying to keep herself awake via conversation. "Are you his dad or something?" Despite her efforts to stay awake, Artemis leaned forward and rested her head on the edge of Wally's mattress, yawning again. "'Cause you don' look it."

From her position, the blonde could see Barry out of the edge of her vision. His gaze had broken from the red heads sleeping face and moved slowly to evaluate the other blonde. He seemed to be thinking, considering if Artemis was really who he wanted to be talking to at the moment. But he gave a heavy sigh, hanging his head a little.

"No. I'm his uncle," was all he offered. Artemis nodded as best she could with her head on the mattress.

Sensing he wouldn't continue, Artemis carried the conversation on by herself. "How'd you guys get into the gig?" Something told the archer she was probably being a bit intrusive, but her exhausted mind couldn't differentiate 'nosy' from 'friendly conversation'.

"I had my powers before Wally. He got them and I just happened to be his uncle," Barry answered simply again. As Artemis watched quietly, the man finally yawned and set his elbows on the edge of the mattress and rested his chin in his palms.

The younger blonde gave a grunt of acknowledgement, accepting the information given. Without thinking, Artemis spoke again. "You're a pretty cool uncle. Ollie's not even my real one." Silence filled the room in which the archer realized her mistake and stiffened. "What I mean is-" she began frantically, but was cut off.

"I know about that stuff," Barry reassured stiffly. When Artemis glanced at him though, his face was relaxed and tired. Dark circles shadowed his glazed blue eyes. "Oliver is one of my best friends."

Too tired to cover up her mistake this time, the archer resigned herself to smiling gratefully. "Uh, does Wally know?"

"No."

"Oh… K, good."

"But I urge you to tell him." Barry stuck her with a stern gaze. "He cares about you. Secrets aren't good."

She was quiet for a few moments, wondering just how much the hero sitting across the bed from her knew. He hadn't tried to skewer her… And she'd saved his nephew so he kind of couldn't.

"He… cares about you too you know," Artemis sighed hesitantly. Giving in to her tired muscles, the archer rested her head fully on the mattress, closing her eyes just a little. "You're his hero." Barry didn't answer. The least he could have done was offer an 'I know', but he didn't even grunt leaving Artemis to wonder if she had said something wrong.

Lifting her head again, the younger blonde widened her eyes in surprise. The scarlet speedster had his face in his hands, shoulders shaking ever so slightly. Sitting up straight now, Artemis considered her options. She'd been through enough to know he was holding back tears. But how could she comfort him? He's a League status hero; you don't just pat those guys on the back and say 'It'll be okay'. They hold major authority and seeing one of these big shots cry is enough to shake anybody.

Leaning over Wally's bed a little, Artemis peered tiredly at the man in front of her. Should she say something? Should she leave? Her exhausted brain couldn't decide, and her own stress was making her emotions jump around as well. Just seeing this usually charismatic hero trembling was enough to make her own eyes water.

A choked sigh echoed in the medical room fallowed closely by the gross sound of drippy snot being inhaled. Rolling her eyes tiredly, Artemis got up and walked around the foot of the bed to Barry's side. Sitting on the edge of Wally's bed near his uncle, the archer held a cautious hand out over the man's left shoulder, waiting to see if he'd tell her to go.

He didn't say anything, not yet at least, and let out a shaky sigh when her hand landed on his shoulder. "… Uh, you gonna' be okay?" she asked tiredly, patting his shoulder awkwardly.

Taking a deep breath, Barry spoke without lifting his head. "W-what kind of a h-hero am I if I can't even-" he choked on his words. Artemis gave a nod of her head, even though he couldn't see. She understood this dilemma all too well. "I'm always there to save him, whenever this happens I'm always there but-"

Letting out a heavy sigh, the archer settled her hand firmly. She couldn't really say anything. Sure, she could tell him Wally was ok, but that wouldn't solve his anxiety. Before she could think of something to say, Barry leaned into her hand, folding his arms on the mattress and resting a teary face on them heavily.

"Thank you," he mumbled, breathing deeply. "You saved him this time."

**A/N:**_ So… Mostly Artemis and Barry bonding. If I ever shipped WalArt, I'm certain this would happen at some point._

_Meh. I will continue **Babysat by the Bat** but not now._

_Reviews?_

_Moe._


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